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Jared Kreiger ’09 (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is majoring in government & law. He worked with high school students this summer at the Pueblo sites of Chaco Canyon and Salmon Ruins in New Mexico as an intern through Landmark Volunteers. The following is a personal account of his experiences.
This summer, I spent two weeks in the Pueblo ruins of New Mexico. I was an intern for the program Landmark Volunteers, which is an organization that sends high school students around the country to take part in numerous projects such as maintaining national parks. I myself had been a part of this organization when I was a high school student and was contacted by Landmark to act as an intern. My job was to act as a leader for the group and provide insight for the students about the program and college life. Little did I know that I would learn from both the students and the ruins some interesting things about life.
Without a doubt, my team was the most diverse you could have. There were kids who went to some of the most exclusive institutions in the country and kids who were struggling to succeed in the inner city. It was interesting to see how those differences would unite or divide the group. I was also scared about whether I would be able to relate to the students as a team leader because of my age and my own background.
Despite these differences we were able to come together and do our jobs. I found that our differences created an interesting environment where we were able to learn about our differences and see points of view on the world that we might not have been aware of. The experiences allowed me and the students to unlock our unknown inner strengths. I never knew that I had the sense for adventure that I found spending my nights exploring the ruins, taking a few of the students with me and trying to learn everything I could to perhaps solve some of its secrets.
The ruins of the Pueblo are shrouded in mystery. You will hear different stories in different locations about the kind of people they were. No one knows for sure what kind of traditions they had or exactly how they came to build these cities with few natural resources, only speculation. That is what makes these places worth while. As we worked to maintain the parks, we came to realize how important our job was. To preserve these places so that others now and in the future could share in the experiences we had.
It is almost hard to describe the power that the ruins have over you. Even in the middle of the desert, you have the strangest feeling that you are not alone. It is almost as if you can still hear the echoes of these once great cities. Who will ever know what happened to these people and why they left everything behind? Anyone who comes to the ruins cannot help but view the world differently. For me, it was how small I am compared to the grand scheme of things. I will never forget this surreal experience or the people I met among the ruins.